Albert Victor Sladden

A Private with the 7th Battalion, Albert died on 28th of April 1917 at the age of 19.

Albert was born at Lowestoft in 1897, a son of Charles and Elizabeth Mary Sladden. He was baptised at Saint John’s Church, Lowestoft, on 17 December 1897 and his family lived at Hilda Villa, Rotterdam Road. In 1901 they lived at Saint Clwyd, Rotterdam Road. By 1911 they were living at 61 Lawson Road.

Albert worked for Mr. E.F. Thain, fishmonger, at Lowestoft. 

Albert volunteered and enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Suffolk Regiment, service number 15525, and was posted to the 9th Battalion, arriving in France, with the battalion, on 31 August 1915. Albert was wounded and his name appears in the War Office Daily List of 2 June 1916. Subsequently he was posted to the 7th Battalion.

Colonel Murphy’s ‘The History of the Suffolk Regiment 1914-1927’ has the following account of the 7th Battalion’s part in the attack on the front between the Scarpe and Monchy (near Arras), known as the Battle of Arleux, on 28 April 1917, pages 233-4:

The battalion, going over the top at 4.35 a.m. to attack the new Blue Line, passed through the 5th Royal Berkshire Regiment, who had captured Bayonet trench and also some 150 yards of Rifle trench. They immediately came under a most devastating machine-gun fire from Rouex, which the troops operating on the north side of the river had not yet taken, and suffered very heavy losses. Portions of the various companies managed to reach the first objective but were unable to gain further ground. All the officers except the colonel and the adjutant have been killed or wounded, these small parties returned to the Black Line as soon as it grew dark and at 1 a.m. the battalion, now reduced to 190 effective men, withdrew to the support line. 

The battalion’s casualties were:
Officers three killed, one died of wounds, four wounded
Other ranks: 89 killed and an unknown number wounded or missing

Albert killed in action on 28 April.